The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-07-14
HOW 1T WORKS IN MAINE.
A Correction of Hon. j. W. Sparks.

speech against prohibition, recently
made at Murfreesboro, addressed a let
ter to Hon. Neal Dow, of Portland,
Maine. The following reply from Mr..
Dow will explain itself. I forbear fur
ther criticism Of Mr.. sparks's speech at
present, regarding Mr.. Dow's letter as
sufficient for an initial dose.
B. F. HAYNES.
RFv. B. F. HAYNEs-DEAR SIR:
Your note of the 10th is just received,
inclosing printed paragraph, said to be
part of speech of State Senator Hon.
J. W. Sparks. It is:
"But I will pass on now to 1857, when
Maine passed what was and is now
known as the Maine law, under the
leadership of Neal Dow; and this same
man, Neal Dow, after figuring in prohi-
bition in Maine and the country ever
since 1851, now says, or has said re-.
Gently in public speeches, that the whole
thing is failure, and that prohibition
does not prohibit.
am not little surprised that "this
same man." J. w. Sparks, did not pro-
vide for decent retreat from the false
hood contained in the few lines which
you sent me. If Mr.. Sparks had said,
II am told so," or, "the newspapers say
TO-" he would have escaped all RESPONSE.
bility for the lie. But he says, "It is
so." Perhaps Mr.. Sparks may be sur.
prised to learn that I never said that at
any time and anywhere. On the contra.
ry, l have said q thousand times-in the
newspapers, the magazines, and on the
platform, that the Maine Law is now and
has been from the first great success.
l. 1t has suppressed every distillery
and every brewery in the State. We had
many of them.
2. It has swept clean of the liquor
traffic more than three.fourths of the
State, containing more than three.fourths
of our population. In all our rural
districts and our smaller towns and villa.
ges the traffic in any form is practically
unknown. An entire generation has
grown up there, never having seen a
saloon, knowing nothing Of the influences
of places where strong drink is sold. In
Maine the word failure" as applied to
this law, is never heard from anybody,
though we have many who do not like
it; nor is it ever seen in any newspaper,
except some which come to US from New
York, Ohio, Missouri, Chicago, Texas,
Tennessee, and other places far away.
8. In 1884, after more than thirty
years. experience of the blessings Of pro-
hibition, our people put it into the
constitution by majority of 47,075, the
affirmative vote being nearly three times
larger than the negative.
4. Before the enactment of the law
Maine was said to be the poorest State in
the Union, our people spending in drink
the entire taxable property of the State
in every period of less than twenty years.
as the people of the Nation are now
doing in every'period Of thirty.6ve years.
5. Names share of the national drink
bill would be now about thirteen million
dollars, but half million will pay the
cost of all the liquor smuggled into the
State and sold in violation of law.
6 Msine is now one of the most pros.
porous States in the Union. We save
directly more than twelve million dol
lars, and indirectly as much more, in
both cases annually, which but for the
Maine law would be spent and wasted in
drink.
7. In the old rum time all over the
State there were obtrusive and offensive
indications everywhere of poverty, dilap.
idation, and decay. Now such symp.
most of the liquor curse are seen
nowhere.
8. Our industries are greatly multi
piled and extended, with abundant
capital with which to conduct them
proftably. We have great deal Of out.
side capital seeking safe investments in
other States. Before the Law We Dor.
rowed money Of all who were foolish
enough 10 trust US; now we borrow Of
nobody, but lend largely in exchange for
the securities of other States, Tennessee
being one of them as I personally know.
9. Prohibition is accepted by all our
people as the settled, fixed policy of the
State. 1t can no more be changed than
can our policy of civil, religious, and
personal liberty. 1t is valued by our
people as our form of government is, and
our policy of free, universal education.
10. Before the Maine law our people
were shiftless, thriftless, poor; now they
are active, industrious, enterprising,
thrifty, rich. The liquor traffic earns
nothing-its influence is to waste the
wages of labor and to ruin all who come
under its influence.
II. The liquor traffic still fingers on a.
small scale, and more or less on the sly,
in our larger towns and cities. This is
due to certain defects in the law which
are perfectly well known to us, which we
shall have corrected by and by; we are
working for that now. Liquor will be
sold here and every where, in violation
OF law, as long as it is profitable to do so.
In amending our Law, as we shall do in
the near future, there is nothing
required but such penalties of fine and
Imprisonment as will make it unprofta.
BILE to everybody who shall persist in its
violation; at the same time providing for
the prompt, quick administration Of its
reproofs, with no power in the courts to
postpone trials or sentences, nor in any
way to diminish or soften the punish.
ment. It must be 80 much fine and so
..L :,;l o,ory f;pnn NTH M do1ov or